Literacy and reading performance in the United States, from 1880 to the present
TL;DR: The authors reviewed literacy and reading achievement trends over the past century and place current debates in a historical perspective, and suggested that students' reading performance at a given age remained stable until the 1970s and much of it can be explained by the changing demographics of test-takers.
Abstract: THE AUTHORS review literacy and reading achievement trends over the past century and place current debates in a historical perspective. Although then-and-now studies are methodologically weak, they suggest that students' reading performance at a given age remained stable until the 1970s. The test score decline that then occurred was not as great as many educators think, and much of it can be explained by the changing demographics of test-takers. The decline pales when compared to the tremendous increase in the population's educational attainment over the past 40 years. However, the strategy of ever-increasing schooling to meet ever-increasing literacy demands may have run its course. High school dropout rates are increasing, and educational attainment has leveled off. Researchers have identified substantial mismatches between workers' skills and job demands, and between job and school literacy skills. In spite of their flaws, functional literacy tests suggest that 20 percent of the adult population, or 30 million people, have serious difficulties with common reading tasks. Upgrading literacy skills now requires new initiatives by coalitions of educators, community groups, employers, and government agencies.
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Journal Article•
TL;DR: In this article, the Chi-square and Fisher's exact test was used to determine the associations among the factors related to health literacy among Thai older persons, including education, occupational history, visibility, and reading ability.
Abstract: Background: Thailand’s population is rapidly aging as a consequence of sustained declines in fertility and improvement in longevity. In spite of growing attention among Thai health practitioners for improving health literacy on health outcome across country, information about the status of health literacy in Thailand remains scarce. The objectives of this study were to assess the level of health literacy and determine the demographic characteristics associated with health literacy among Thai older persons. Methods : The health literacy survey was conducted in 440 Thai older persons. The respondents were randomly selected. Data collection was based on the Thai elder health literacy questionnaire in paper-assisted personal interviews. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the status of health literacy were categorized into three levels included functional, interactive, and critical health literacy. The Chi-square and Fisher’s exact test were used to determine the associations among the factors related the health literacy. Results: The Thai elder health literacy questionnaire covered two levels of health literacy: functional, and interactive level. The 2 in 440 (0.5%) respondents showed interactive health literacy and 438 in 440 (99.5 %) expressed functional health literacy. None of the participants had critical health literacy. Results indicated that factors significantly associated with health literacy included education ( P -value=0.001), occupational history ( P -value=0.020), visibility ( P -value=0.003), and reading ability ( P -value=0.049). Conclusion : The status of health literacy, especially functional level were considered as having the limited literacy, among Thai older persons represents an important challenge for Thai health policies and health practitioners across Thailand. Knowledge of health literacy is needed to provide the foundation for developing strategies to mitigate effects of low health literacy on health outcome. The social gradient could be taken into account when developing public health strategies to improve health equity.
6 citations
Cites result from "Literacy and reading performance in..."
...However, this finding was inconsistent with other studies showing that years of education do not associate to health literacy skill [24-26]....
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TL;DR: The authors examines the philosophy and practice of whole language, highlighting the flaws which make it an inappropriate model for such endorsement, and argues that its impact on "at risk" students is deleterious rather than supportive.
Abstract: When Australian state education departments, and major teacher associations take the unusual step of endorsing a particular model of teaching, such as whole language, one would anticipate that the decision would have been made with due gravity, including careful consideration of evidence supporting the model as worthy of such acclamation. Not only should such a model be well‐credentialled, theoretically and empirically, but it should be sufficiently flexible to accommodate the diverse range of learners dependent on classroom experiences for the majority of their language opportunities. This paper examines the philosophy and practice of whole language, highlighting the flaws which make it an inappropriate model for such endorsement, and argues that its impact on ‘at‐risk’ students is deleterious rather than supportive.
6 citations
01 Jan 2009
TL;DR: The definition of reading, reading Theories and Reading Instruction in First Language and Second Language, and Strategies Instruction to Achieve Textrehension are presented.
Abstract: ...............................................................................................ii Dedication.............................................................................................iv Acknowledgments....................................................................................v Vita...................................................................................................vii List of Tables.......................................................................................xiv List of Figures.......................................................................................xvi Chapter 1: Pedagogical Defineation of Reading ............................................................. 1 1.1 Definition of reading................................................................................... 2 1.1.1 Social Context......................................................................................... 4 1.1.2 Reading Purpose ..................................................................................... 6 1.1.3 Interaction ............................................................................................... 7 1.2 Summary ................................................................................................... 14 Chapter 2: Reading Theories and Reading Instruction in First Language and Second Language............................................................................................................... 16 2.1 Current Reading Theories and Pedagogical Approaches in L1 Reading.. 17 2.1.1 Development of Current Reading Theories and Reading Instruction... 17 2.1.2 Factors Influencing Reading Comprehension....................................... 18 2.1.2.1 Decoding ........................................................................................ 18 2.1.2.2 Vocabulary Knowledge ................................................................. 19 2.1.2.3 Prior Knowledge ............................................................................ 21 2.1.2.4 Knowledge of Text Structure......................................................... 23 2.1.2.5 Cognitive Comprehension Strategies............................................. 24 2.1.2.6 Metacognitive Strategies................................................................ 24 2.1.2.7 Affective Factors............................................................................ 25 2.1.3 Cognitive Theoretical Models............................................................... 26 2.1.3.1 Bottom-up and Top-down.............................................................. 27 2.1.3.2 Cognitive Models........................................................................... 28 2.1.3.2.1 Automaticity Model .................................................................. 28 x 2.1.3.2.2 Interactive Model ...................................................................... 29 2.1.3.2.3 Construction-Integration Model................................................ 31 2.1.3.3 Implication of Cognitive Reading Theories................................... 31 2.1.4 Reading Comprehension Pedagogical Approaches .............................. 32 2.1.4.1 Direct Explanation (DE) ................................................................ 34 2.1.4.2 Reciprocal Teaching (RT).............................................................. 35 2.1.4.3 Transactional Strategy Instruction (TSI) ....................................... 36 2.1.4.4 Collaborative Comprehension Instruction (CCI)........................... 38 2.2 Reading Theories and Instructional Approaches in L2 Context............... 39 2.2.1 Difficulties Encountered by L2 Readers............................................... 40 2.2.1.1 Linguistic Barrier ........................................................................... 41 2.2.1.1.1 Barrier 1: Orthography.............................................................. 42 2.2.1.1.2 Barrier 2: Vocabulary................................................................ 44 2.2.1.1.3 Barrier 3: Syntax ....................................................................... 45 2.2.1.2 Knowledge Barrier......................................................................... 46 2.2.2 Differences between L2 Reading and L1 Reading ............................... 48 2.2.2.1 Oral Language Proficiency ............................................................ 50 2.2.2.2 Knowledge ..................................................................................... 52 2.2.2.2.1 Metalinguistic Knowledge ........................................................ 52 2.2.2.2.2 Text Knowledge ........................................................................ 53 2.2.2.2.3 Prior Knowledge ....................................................................... 53 2.2.2.3 Strategies Use................................................................................. 54 2.2.2.4 Cross-linguistic Transfer of Reading Skills................................... 57 2.2.2.5 The Purpose of Reading................................................................. 59 2.2.2.6 Age Difference............................................................................... 59 2.2.3 Implications of L2 Reading Theories ................................................... 59 2.2.3.1 L2 Word Recognition Development.............................................. 60 2.2.3.2 Text Selection ................................................................................ 61 2.2.3.3 Strategies Instruction to Achieve Text Comprehension ................ 62 Chapter 3: Chinese L2 Reading Instruction................................................................... 65 3.1 Chinese Orthography ................................................................................ 65 3.1.1 Chinese Orthography ............................................................................ 66 3.1.2 Difficulties of Chinese Orthography on L2 Readers ............................ 69 3.1.3 Processing of Chinese Characters......................................................... 76 3.1.3.1 Phonological Encoding Strategy.................................................... 76 3.1.3.2 Visual Strategy............................................................................... 78 3.1.3.3 Radical and Phonetic Components Strategies................................ 80 3.1.3.4 Context Strategies .......................................................................... 82 3.2 Chinese Reading Instruction in L2 Context.............................................. 83 3.2.1 Explicit Instruction on Chinese Characters........................................... 84 3.2.2 Sequential Approach............................................................................. 86 3.2.3 Other Instruction Approaches ............................................................... 91 3.2.4 Chinese L2 Reading instruction in China ............................................. 92
6 citations
Cites background from "Literacy and reading performance in..."
...Later some scholars have adopted this complex and dynamic response definition by Thorndike....
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...Thorndike (1917) agreed with the definition of reading (interaction) as understanding the meaning of printed words, but he also addressed the complex and dynamic procedure of reading (interaction) “involving a weighing of each of many 13 elements in a sentence, their organization in the proper relations one to another, the selection of certain of their connotations and the rejection of others, and the cooperation of many forces to determine final response” (p. 323)....
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...Later some scholars have adopted this complex and dynamic response definition by Thorndike. McKillop (1952) defined interaction as an individual’s complex response to printed verbal symbols, but he still considers text as the dominant factor: “the reader receives a communication from the writer and interprets what the writer is saying to him” (p....
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6 citations
01 Jan 1992
TL;DR: Workforce Instructional Network (WIN), Southwest Texas State University (Grant #V198A10219) as mentioned in this paper was the first to propose this approach to the task of workforce instruction in Texas.
Abstract: Workforce Instructional Network (WIN), Southwest Texas State University (Grant #V198A10219)
6 citations
References
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Book•
01 Jul 1983TL;DR: In this article, the piedmont: textile mills and times of change, and the teaching of how to talk in Trackton and Roadville, are discussed, as well as the teachers as learners and the townspeople.
Abstract: Photographs, maps, figures, tables, texts Acknowledgments Prologue Note on transcriptions Part I. Ethnographer Learning: 1. The piedmont: textile mills and times of change 2. 'Gettin' on' in two communities 3. Learning how to talk in Trackton 4. Teaching how to talk in Roadville 5. Oral traditions 6. Literate traditions 7. The townspeople Part II. Ethnographer Doing: 8. Teachers as learners 9. Learners as ethnographers Epilogue Epilogue - 1996 Notes Bibliography Index.
4,564 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the piedmont: textile mills and times of change, and the teaching of how to talk in Trackton and Roadville, are discussed, as well as the teachers as learners and the townspeople.
Abstract: Photographs, maps, figures, tables, texts Acknowledgments Prologue Note on transcriptions Part I. Ethnographer Learning: 1. The piedmont: textile mills and times of change 2. 'Gettin' on' in two communities 3. Learning how to talk in Trackton 4. Teaching how to talk in Roadville 5. Oral traditions 6. Literate traditions 7. The townspeople Part II. Ethnographer Doing: 8. Teachers as learners 9. Learners as ethnographers Epilogue Epilogue - 1996 Notes Bibliography Index.
4,208 citations
Book•
01 Jan 1981
TL;DR: The Mismeasure of man was immediately hailed as a masterwork, the ringing answer to those who would classify people, rank them according to their supposed genetic gifts and limits, and yet the idea of innate limits-of biology as destiny-dies hard, as witness the attention devoted to The Bell Curve, whose arguments are here so effectively anticipated and thoroughly undermined by Stephen Jay Gould.
Abstract: When published in 1981, The Mismeasure of Man was immediately hailed as a masterwork, the ringing answer to those who would classify people, rank them according to their supposed genetic gifts and limits. And yet the idea of innate limits-of biology as destiny-dies hard, as witness the attention devoted to The Bell Curve, whose arguments are here so effectively anticipated and thoroughly undermined by Stephen Jay Gould. In this edition Dr. Gould has written a substantial new introduction telling how and why he wrote the book and tracing the subsequent history of the controversy on innateness right through The Bell Curve. Further, he has added five essays on questions of The Bell Curve in particular and on race, racism, and biological determinism in general. These additions strengthen the book's claim to be, as Leo J. Kamin of Princeton University has said, "a major contribution toward deflating pseudo-biological 'explanations' of our present social woes."
3,879 citations
Book•
16 Nov 1972
TL;DR: Most Americans say they believe in equality. But when pressed to explain what they mean by this, their definitions are usually full of contradictions as mentioned in this paper. But most Americans also believe that some people are more competent than others, and that this will always be so, no matter how much we reform society.
Abstract: Most Americans say they believe in equality. But when pressed to explain what they mean by this, their definitions are usually full of contradictions. Many will say, like the Founding Fathers, that “all men are created equal.” Many will also say that all men are equal “before God,” and that they are, or at least ought to be, equal in the eyes of the law. But most Americans also believe that some people are more competent than others, and that this will always be so, no matter how much we reform society. Many also believe that competence should be rewarded by success, while incompetence should be punished by failure. They have no commitment to ensuring that everyone’s job is equally desirable, that everyone exercises the same amount of political power, or that everyone receives the same income.
2,315 citations